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STREAMS program seeks applicants

January 22, 2002

Wright State University School of Medicine is now accepting applications from outstanding minority college students for summer research opportunities in biomedical sciences. STREAMS (Short-Term Research Experience Access for Minority Students) will select 12 college students from throughout the nation for the 9-week summer program (June 9, 2002 through August 9, 2002) which gives students the opportunity to conduct laboratory research under the guidance of medical school faculty mentors.

The program offers free campus housing and a monthly stipend of $1,224.00. For an application or more information, contact Andrea Blair, Research Training Coordinator, at 937/ 775-2395. The application review process begins February 22, 2002.

The STREAMS program is funded by a grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The program is designed to encourage members of under-represented groups to pursue careers in biomedical research, according to co-directors Mariana Morris, Ph.D., chair and professor of pharmacology and toxicology, and Shumei Guo, Ph.D., professor of community health at Wright State.

Nationally, there is a dearth of minorities in research careers. "Given the high prevalence of health problems in U.S. minority populations, the need for encouraging and educating minority students to participate in research is eminent," said Dr. Guo.

"My vision is to give undergraduate students a taste of research and to be able to let them experience some of the excitement faculty feel toward research. It is exciting to be able to discover new things," adds Dr. Morris.

STREAMS participants will be organized into three general interdisciplinary areas: cellular mechanisms, endocrinology/hypertension and cardiovascular epidemiology. The students will spend about 80 percent of their time conducting biomedical research in Wright State laboratories and working closely with medical school faculty. In addition, they will read papers from biomedical literature, make scientific presentations, and explore the social and ethical implications of scientific research.

"These students tend to be high achievers, and they complement each other with goal setting and career exploration," Dr. Morris said of previous STREAMS participants. Many of the former STREAMS participants are now pursuing post graduate training in medicine and biomedical science.